How did Warner Bros. Television acquire the distribution rights to Will & Grace if NBC Studios produced it? Also, the W&G season DVD sets were released by Lionsgate Home Entertainment, and the non-U.S. distribution rights are held by MGM International Television Distribution.
Another example of an NBC-produced show whose distribution rights aren't held by NBC (I mean NBC-Universal) is The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. TFPoBA was produced by NBC Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. TV, and TFPoBA's season DVDs were released by Warner Home Video.
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According to a recent article on deadline.com about the upcoming 10-episode Will & Grace revival for Fall 2017, the distribution rights to the NBC sitcom may have been reverted to NBC-Universal.
Quote:
In one of the most intriguing 1990s TV pacts, Warner Bros. Television landed domestic distribution of the NBC Studios-produced Will & Grace in exchange to loaning out Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, who had been signed into an exclusive WBTV deal, back to NBC to work on the show. I hear rights had since reverted to NBCUniversal, but WBTV still has Mutchnick under an overall deal and agreed to loan him out for the revival.
"Will & Grace" Distribution Rights?
